Eden

by Matt Arnold, Riccardo Burchielli (Illustrator)

In the near future, two convicts (a disgraced senator and her husband) are sentenced to twenty-five years in a cryogenic penal facility for a horrible crime they claim they didn’t commit.

When the prison malfunctions, accidentally releasing all of the prisoners, the escapees discover that they’ve been incarcerated for thousands of years and are now the only survivors of a global catastrophe that wiped out all of mankind, an event so devastating that prehistoric creatures now walk the Earth once more. Will the world’s worst criminals be able to rise to the challenge of building a better society than the one they left? And is true redemption ever really possible?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction, Fiction, Dystopia, Crime

136 pages, Paperback

Published August 30, 2022

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

So we have a Sheriff husband and his wife, a senator. The get wrongfully charged with killing their son and sent to jail. The jail however, cryogenically freezes the inmates. Something happens with the system and the inmates get released. Upon running out of the facility, the world looks way different. A jungle has overgrown everything and there are prehistoric animals to watch out for. How long have these inmates been frozen? Thousands of years? Tens of thousands of years? So now the inmates try to make a new society and start with a fresh slate. Of course with a bunch of criminals, plans with ill intent start bubbling up in the background. I was getting close to the end of the book and was thinking, how are they gonna wrap this up? It’s gotta be a volume 2 coming or something. Then I read the final issue and was like oooooooooohhhhhh, that was pretty cool. F’d up but pretty damn cool. Damn. So yeah, this was a nice quick read. Worth checking out.

[TAP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prison should rehabilitate.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this more than I had anticipated! Cool concept - I just wish there was a follow up comic!!

[Matt Konich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Quick Read and Cool Concept

The idea of this book is awesome and if you want a great "start to finish in one sitting" read, this is the book for you! That being said, I would have loved a longer version of this story with more time to develop the characters and world. But it's still a cool story with a great twist ending.

[Darren-lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story...

[Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this graphic novel up based on just the solicitation in Previews. I hadn't heard anything about it prior to that besides that it was one of the Comixology Originals that was finally being released in print for the first time. It came out today (8/24/22) in comic stores all over, and I'm sure many shops might not have ordered a copy for their new release shelves, which is a shame because this is a solid graphic novel, and one that people should seriously check out.
Story is solid, pacing is fantastic, art really adds to the story, and the book will surprise you. I was hooked from the beginning, and couldn't put it down. Took me a little under an hour to read the whole thing.
One complaint I do have is the amount of content for the price of $22.99, because that might turn some people off from picking the book. Despite the cost I would highly recommend this title.

[Mackenzie Melo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It got me

I was so engrossed by the story and the art, that I didn't see it coming. Excellent story with a good twist and a good reflection on the old topic of who we really are behind our appearances.

[Joseph B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eden takes its simple sci-fi concept and executes it well; telling a compact tale of rehabilitation and revenge. A senator and sheriff's son is kidnapped and killed. This formerly idyllic couple, Anna and Ben, are wrongfully sentenced to prison. They're interned in cryostasis pods, which go awry and awaken prisoners in a changed world. Thousands of years have passed. They have a chance to create a new society free from the sins of their past. But where others see a clean slate, some see an opportunity to seize power.

Eden flows by quickly. Anna and Ben feel like real characters. Their chemistry is great. The supporting cast is solid considering Matt Arnold had a mere 136 pages to tell a story. Arnold's writing tells you just enough about the world to feel immersed as mysteries unfold. Characters are essentially thrown into two camps; build a utopia together or conspire to tear everyone else down to build yourself up. Riccardo Burchielli's art is good. The environments and characters are drawn nicely.

Eden is a satisfying narrative with a good exploration of the concept of rehabilitation for crimes. 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sufficiently engaging, with a neat twist. A beloved senator and her sheriff husband are convicted of a terrible crime and sent to a cryogenic prison. The system fails and they're released (along with many other prisoners) into a distant future/far past amalgam. The senator tries to establish society while her husband tries to resolve the crime they were long ago accused of.

The twist, of course, being that it's all a simulation while the senator is in cryogenic sleep. I was surprised to find myself surprised by the twist. Otherwise, the story beats are predictable and the art is merely decent. A very fast, relatively fun read.

[BookishDramas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what a blockbuster feels like.
A tremendous short graphic novels which ticks off all the right boxes. The story has everything family, tragedy, court room drama, incarceration, science fiction, a garden of Eden and finally redemption.

For a short story the characters are interesting and ones with which as a reader I connected. The stark raw world of crime stands exposed, leadership shines through and emotions run riot.

My only complaint was about a giant footprint which never reached fruition.

Excellent entertainment

[Martin Thomas]

What surprise!

I picked this book up with no preconception (mostly because I liked the cover and was sick of reading superhero comics), but really expected it'd be a single issue that I would read and not continue. I was not prepared for for a full story that would hook me right from the beginning. It's got the same page-turner sensiblities as 'Lost" and the artist fully grasps the concept of "show-don't-tell". All of it leading to a (rare these days) satisfying conclusion.

[Aleks]

Did not see it coming!!

I truly enjizznoyed this book! It is very well pizznaced and very well written so when combizzined with the awesome artwork yalls gizznet one of the mizzost original immersive stizznories I've "eye eaten" (read) in a very long tizzime!! I highly recommizzend...and yizzals cizzan tizznake thizzat toozo thezza BIZZANK YO!!!

-EBONIKS FOR LIZZIFE!!!!!!

[Miguel Poveda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una pareja (ella senadora y él sheriff) es acusada injustamente del asesinato de su único hijo. El castigo es ejemplar: son crionizados durante 25 años. Sin embargo, al despertar repentinamente de su letargo, el mundo no parece ser el mismo... Se trata de una obra de ciencia ficción con acción muy bien llevada, entretenida y con un giro final francamente bueno.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the graphics and the story

All is said in the title. I loved both the graphics and the story and my only wish is that it was longer, that there was a sequel. There should be, shouldn’t it?

[Maggie Goldwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saw the bit about the old woman coming. The rest was not predictable. Still, I would not read it again because it tried to be a modern take on Lord of the Flies without understanding the history behind why that original book was written

[Adam Sequoyah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish it because it had a lot of lame, senseless violence and lame "twists," with an overall plot -- or, characters rather -- I cared nothing about.

MPA ratings:
R for language, bloody violence, & gore
PG-13 for sensuality

[Ryan Matheson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually much better than I initially expected. This type of story is right up my alley. I just wish it was a bit longer or had additional entries to further thresh out some of the characters. An easy read and glad I stumbled across it.

[LH Withrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart concept

A smart idea well executed in a quick paced series. Nice twists that create an engaging concept. If you liked the TV series 'Lost' you might like this (that's not a spoiler as this is a very different story).

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eden, Arnold etc
Original quasi-post-apocalyptic [you'll understand when you read it] full of unexpected twists and turns. Revenge, honor, war, loyalty, brutal survival.
"You said this was the Garden of Eden. It's not. It's Noah's Ark." - Anna Croft

[James Atkison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly innovative

Mr. Arnold did great work with an interesting idea. How do you truly know someone has been rehabilitated?our current system does such a stellar job. Fast forward to the future. Great artwork and a great story. I highly recommend this one.

[Jefferson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, if a bit predictable.

[Melissa Mikos]

Thrilling and enthralling

Could not put this down. Read it now! The ending was a huge surprise that I did not see coming.

[Scott Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I don't want to give any spoilers, just want to say it is not at all what you expect it to be. Well worth the read and you will for a fact be suprised and satisfied.

[Dan K. Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

not what I thought

The rare book that is a good throughout, then ends even better. One of my rare “must reads”! You won’t be sorry.

[Andrew Sorrentino · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read.

An interesting premise with a surprising but unsatisfactory ending. Lots of setup for what seems to be a fake out. The art is decent though.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

That story had a great concept. Good stuff

[Ariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique story and a quick read. It had some predictable parts to it but it didn't take away from the story. Each character did something surprising. It was a new look to what we do in our society.

[s.j.hannaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

A possible future

A futuristic take on Crime & Punishment or Crime & Rehabilitation, Interesting original story line idea, artwork is excellent !!!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art, interesting story but somehow less than satisfying. Good choice for comic newbies.

[Georgina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting premise

Great plot and storytelling. There is a morality at play here, it's action packed and a real page-turner. One of the best graphic novels I have read.